International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management

Application of Six Sigma DMAIC methodology in a transactional environment

Jiju Antony Anmol Singh Bhuller Maneesh Kumar Kepa Mendibil Douglas C. Montgomery
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Jiju Antony Anmol Singh Bhuller Maneesh Kumar Kepa Mendibil Douglas C. Montgomery,
(2012),"Application of Six Sigma DMAIC methodology in a transactional environment", International Journal
of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 29 Iss 1 pp. 31 - 53
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Six Sigma
Application of Six Sigma DMAIC DMAIC
methodology in a transactional methodology
environment
31
Jiju Antony
Department of DMEM, Strathclyde Institute for Operations Management,
University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
Anmol Singh Bhuller
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Radiant Toyota, Ludhiana, India

Maneesh Kumar
Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
Kepa Mendibil
Department of DMEM, Strathclyde Institute for Operations Management,
University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK, and
Douglas C. Montgomery
Department of Industrial Engineering, Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering,
Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA

Abstract
Purpose Communication and Information Management (CIM) is crucial for any organisation and
effectiveness of CIM can result in significant improvement to the bottom line and customer
satisfaction. The purpose of this paper is to investigate and streamline the communication and
information system within an infrastructure support service company using Six Sigma
methodology.
Design/methodology/approach The research involved a triangulation approach of case study
and use of survey instrument to find a solution to the problem.
Findings The paper highlights a significant concern with regard to CIM within all the business
units of the group. The effectiveness of the present CIM system for the whole group is below industry
average with regard to accuracy and timeliness of CIM, resulting in an inefficient management
reporting system. Operating in a highly competitive and time-bound environment, correct and real
time reporting is paramount. The main reasons for the ineffectiveness of CIM across the group can
be attributed to two main factors; data management and communication systems being
used. The paper also illustrates an appreciation of the use of Six Sigma within a transactional
environment.
Originality/value This study is a novel application of Six Sigma methodology within the
communication and information management system.
Keywords Six Sigma, Process management, DMAIC, Communication and information management,
Strategy, Quality
Paper type Case study International Journal of Quality
& Reliability Management
Vol. 29 No. 1, 2012
pp. 31-53
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
The authors would like to acknowledge the reviewers for their invaluable comments to make this 0265-671X
a better quality paper. DOI 10.1108/02656711211190864
 IJQRM Introduction
29,1 Six Sigma is a breakthrough business strategy used for quality and process improvement
by using a set of structured tools and statistical measures to evaluate processes (Antony,
2004b). Six Sigma has evolved over the last two decades and continues to expand since its
inception at Motorola in the mid-1980s (Hoerl, 2004). Six Sigma as a business strategy has
been exploited by many world-class organisations such as Motorola, SE, Honeywell, ABB
32 and Sony to name a few, resulting in million dollar savings on the bottom line (Snee, 2004).
Edgeman et al. (2005) suggest that Six Sigma approach can help to develop solutions that
jointly optimise multiple bottom lines. Senapati (2004) highlights that many of these
companies have laid out specific blue prints for process improvement using the Six Sigma
framework. More and more companies are discovering Six Sigma to gather customer
input and gauge customer satisfaction within their products and services.
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The current business trend of cut-throat competition is forcing organisations to look

at ways of reducing costs. The scarcely available funds need to be deployed
meticulously. Implementation of Six Sigma methodology is most suitable in such
conditions as compared to any other traditional contemporary process improvement
methodology due to the following reasons:
.
The implementation of Six Sigma facilitates breakthrough results as evidenced
by many organisations (Breyfogle et al., 2001).
.
Fact- and data-based approach, and the use of statistical methods reduces
chances of error (Pande et al., 2001).
.
The resources required for Six Sigma can be drawn from within the organisation
(Gupta, 2005).
.
The time frame for implementation of projects is comparatively short; most of
the projects can be completed within three to six months (Snee, 2001).

In todays business world information is considered power and a major source of growth and
prosperity. However, if information is not analysed and acted upon in time, organisational
effectiveness can be reduced hence affecting the competitiveness (Peipert, 2005). The
importance of information is highlighted by the fact that without essential information,
organisations do not know what they need to know, neither they are aware of what they
do not know, hence the act of organising itself goes in vein. This case study investigates
the effectiveness of communication and information management (CIM) system within
an infrastructure support company, using the Six Sigma (DMAIC) methodology.

Literature review
Six Sigma has many definitions, each addressing one of the several aspects of its
phenomenon of the pursuit of near-perfection in meeting customer requirements
(Pande et al., 2000). Since Six Sigma focuses on the customer and uses facts and data to
deliver better solutions, it is regarded as an effective way to manage business (Pande et al.,
2001). According to Breyfogle et al. (2001), Six Sigma is a team-based approach to problem
solving and process improvement. Six Sigmas success has been attributed to embracing
it as an improvement strategy (Antony and Banuelas, 2001; Snee, 1999), philosophy
(Slack et al., 2004) and a way of doing business (Pande and Holpp, 2002; Watson, 2001).
According to Breyfogle (2003), Six Sigma organisations have a well-defined
management hierarchy within the organisation. Antony and Banuelas (2001)
 refer to this hierarchy of execution as one of the most powerful themes of Six Sigma Six Sigma
approach. According to Breyfogle et al. (2001), in a Six Sigma organisation special titles are DMAIC
given to people within the organisation depending on their Six Sigma roles. All employees
of the organisation should have the awareness of Six Sigma and preferably be trained methodology
as Yellow Belts to create a Six Sigma culture throughout the organisation (Gupta, 2005).
CIM within organisations is one of the most important and critical aspects especially
in todays competitive world. Information flows throughout the organisation and 33
follows various processes till it is complete in entirety and reaches the final destination.
The changing business environments require organisations to manage the information
effectively in order to create a knowledge base and utilise the same for business
advantage and competitive edge. Timely communication of this information is referred
to as knowledge management within the organisation, described as getting the right
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information to the right people at the right time, helping people create knowledge and
sharing and acting on information (Holm, 2001).
Six Sigma has been successfully implemented within the manufacturing industry
and now the awareness is growing towards application in the service, transactional
and administrative processes (Bisgaard et al., 2002). This paper is aimed at using
Six Sigma (DMAIC) methodology in evaluating the efficiency and operational
performance with regard to management of information and suggest improvements
where gaps are identified.

Research methodology
The objective of identifying an effective communication system within the
infrastructure organisation is achieved through case study strategy. Case study is an
empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real life
context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and the context are not
clearly evident (Yin, 2003). This research is not restricted to identifying the root cause
but also encompasses the development of a better framework. Hence a well-constructed
case study strategy is employed in the research to test the existing theory.
In this case study, Six Sigma DMAIC methodology is applied to identify the root
causes for an existing problem and proposes solutions that can have significant
business impact. Positivist philosophy is used since large sample of data is involved
and provides analysis of a wide range of situations. The research is based upon facts or
reasons with regard to the phenomena with little consideration of the subjective state
(Hussey and Hussey, 1997).
Triangulation approach is adopted for data collection. Since each data collection
method has its strengths and weaknesses, the research encompasses two methods; case
study and questionnaire to counterbalance the flaws if any, leading to credible
findings. Moreover, if the results obtained from one-method backs up the results from
another, the research is validated and hence accomplishes a reliable conclusion
(Bulmer, 1984). The next section discusses the case study approach undertaken during
the project and the implementation process of DMAIC Six Sigma methodology.

Case study
Introduction to case study
The organisation is an infrastructure support services group, which is focused on its
core competencies in providing highest quality products and services within a number
 IJQRM of industries including rail, plant, roads and facilities management. Considering the
29,1 diverse nature of the business the organisation was interested in establishing a control
centre for real time tracking of job progress at work-sites. Different businesses of the
group are being operated on a different platform with no central control of information,
with each depot operating as an independent entity spread across the country to
provide services to their clients. Owing to the ever-growing need of customers to have
34 access to real time information, the management has felt a need to develop an efficient
CIM system for all functions of the group.
The project selection was done based on the strategic requirement of the company.
In todays competitive world, information is of essence to any business and effective
management of information is an ever-growing requirement. With diverse operations
and customers spread across the country, centralisation and consolidation of
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information is even more important for the organisation. Since most of the operations
are projects based where meeting deadlines and responsiveness to the customer
requirements is paramount, slightest slack in information can result in huge penalties
and loss of opportunity. The penalties in many cases could be extremely high since time
is of essence, for example delay in handing over a high-priority rail track could result in
penalties of thousands of pounds per hour. Considering the cut-throat environment
organisation is operating in and the future growth, this project will provide a competitive
edge in the market place.
The project aims at identifying the efficiency of existing CIM system, categorise
problems within present CIM system and explore root causes of problems identified.
Based on the management requirement from the CIM system and keeping strategic
focus for the business in view, following aspects are identified as critical to the project:
.
timely reporting of information;
.
centralised data access for management reporting; and
.
solution to be portable and applicable to all business units.

Application of DMAIC to the project

In order to deal with the problem highlighted and to achieve the research objectives, a case
study approach was adopted considering the real-life context of the problem. Undertaking
a case study approach, Six Sigma (DMAIC) improvement methodology has been adopted
to embark on the research. In this case, Six Sigma methodology was adopted since it
facilitates data and fact-driven approach. Six Sigma provides the management with
concrete evidence of findings that facilitates in making the requisite decision. Since no
solution was available and considering the scale of the problem, Six Sigma methodology
was adopted to streamline the information flow within the organisation. Moreover,
considering that CIM is an integration of human factor and the processes involved,
Six Sigma is appropriate since it has the capability to integrate the human and process
aspects of process improvement (Bisgaard et al., 2002). Six Sigma DMAIC methodology
helps to identify the root causes of the problem and define the control measures for the
same. The phases of DMAIC and the tools used within each phase are discussed below.
Define phase. The aim of this phase is to determine the customer and process
requirements and define the scope and goals of the improvement project accordingly.
During the define phase various tools like SIPOC diagram, voice of customer (VOC) and
affinity diagram were used to determine the focus points or requirements of the project.
 SIPOC diagram. A SIPOC diagram is a tool used to identify all relevant elements of a Six Sigma
process improvement project before work begins. It is used to define business processes DMAIC
where the team identifies and maps the basic relationships between the suppliers,
inputs, process steps, outputs and customers, hence called a SIPOC diagram as shown in methodology
Table I. The SIPOC diagram was developed by the Six Sigma team after brainstorming
and discussion with the stakeholders.
VOC analysis. To ensure that the objectives are realistic and in line with customer 35
requirements data are collected and analysed based on VOC concept. Customer data in
this case were collected from a sample of end-users of information within the
management and operational environment. The VOC collected based on discussions and
reviews with management representatives helped to determine the following:
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.
problems encountered on daily basis regarding information management; and
.
process flaws causing hindrances.
Creation of affinity diagram. Affinity diagram is best suited in handling unstructured
data from interviews and observations (Gitlow and Levine, 2005). Since there was a need
to make clear representation of the collected data, affinity diagram was used to analyse
and structure the gathered feedback to generate solution ideas. According to Cohen
(1995), affinity diagram is used to handle large amount of qualitative data, where data
are organised into subgroups based on similarities between them.
The raw VOC is taken as a base to construct the affinity diagram. The VOC data
collected from the management and control centre team were analysed and possible
reasons were discussed with the concerned and after brainstorming within the team
arrived upon three focus points 1, 2 and 3 as shown in the focus point column in Figure 1.
Each of the VOC was allocated to relevant focus points, e.g. inconsistent site reporting
can result in incorrect information, relevant data missing or delayed information,
therefore was allocated focus points 1, 2 and 3. Similarly all the raw VOC data points
were identified with a focus point. The focus points provided theme to the affinity
diagram and these focus points can be seen as the corporate quality requirement from
the CIM system. The affinity diagram based on VOC analysis is shown in Figure 1.
Prepare a business case with a project charter. Final step of the define phase is the
preparation of the business case based upon information collected from the SIPOC
and VOC analysis. Along with the business case a project charter is also prepared
highlighting the following main constituents to drive the business case (Table II).

Supplier Input Process Output Customer

Planning team Broadcast/resource Review info. Correction Control centre

sheets ascertained
Depot/regional office Confirmed Update Database updated Control centre,
information database work-site
Control centre Work order, Escalation Awareness, timely Senior
site supervisor corrective action management,
information external customers
Site supervisor Job finish Update and Service delivery, Control centre,
information log support, system customers, Table I.
completion updated contractors SIPOC diagram
 IJQRM Target Affinity diagram theme
Raw VOC Data
29,1 Segment (Focus Point)

Inconsistent site reporting - 1, 2, 3 1. Incorrect Information

Senior management
No defined KPI's / management reporting system - 2 2.Relevant data missing
36 Timely access to information - 3 3. Delayed Information

Customer concerns not notified in time - 3

Real-time management of data - 3

Legal agencies call up to notify the concerns - 3

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Centre Team

Lack of information updation - 1, 2, 3

Control

Information does not reach Control Centre - 3

Figure 1.
Affinity diagram Lack of effectiveness of system - 1, 2, 3

Project title Development of effective information management system within the organization to
deliver accurate real-time access to information
Timeframe Three months
Metrics Measures of accuracy (correctness/completeness) and timeliness
Goal Integration of existing systems and enhanced response time (speed)
Rationale Gain competitive advantage by being responsive to customer requirements having
centralized real-time information management system
Scope and The project will look at the following
boundaries Understand information flow within organization
Identify key requirements to have centralized data collection at the control centre
Study possibility of integrating existing systems
Make recommendations to achieve the stated goal
Owing to time constraint the implementation across the board is not feasible,
keeping the scope to trial at single location
Identify pilot location/site for implementation and record results
Constraints Timeframe, data access, resource availability, commitment, finance
Project team Six Sigma project comprising
Project champion
SS-Black belt
Project leader
Team member (control centre)
Team member (IT)
Team member (site)
Table II. Note: The authors took on the role of project leader (as well as the role of a green belt) within the
Project charter project team

Measure phase. The measure phase involves the following main functions: establishing
the Key output variable (KPOV) or metrics for corporate Y; determine operational
measures and definition of the critical to quality (CTQs); perform a gage repeatability
and reproducibility (R&R) study for each CTQ.
 First step for a measure step is to identify defects within the process. A defect is Six Sigma
defined as anything not complying with requirement of the process or product. Each DMAIC
defect results in erroneous or delayed information. A CTQ tree is used to determine the
measurable defects based on the corporate Y identified through VOC analysis. methodology
Following tools and techniques are used in the measure phase to establish further
clarity on the CTQs.
CTQ tree. In order to determine the metrics or the KPOV, a CTQ tree was drawn as 37
shown in Figure 2. The KPOVs identified are also called CTQs since these outputs
directly affect the customer, construction of CTQ tree requires appreciation of
the organisations corporate requirement as understood from the VOC analysis. The
corporate-level CTQ, Y is broken down to represent the Y to be solved. This Y is
also referred in Six Sigma terminology as project or problem solving Y. Figure 2 shows
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how the corporate Y from VOC has cascaded into more specific Six Sigma project focus
activities in the form of business critical Y. From the CTQ tree three metrics are
identified:
(1) completeness;
(2) correctness; and
(3) timeliness.
Operational definition of CTQs (project Y). Once the critical Y is identified and the
data sources located, the final concern is to facilitate error free analysis of the data
collected. In this regard it is vital to have the operational definitions of the Y. This
facilitates the team members to have a common understanding of the measures involved.
Operational definitions of correctness, completeness and timeliness are provided below.
Correctness. Correctness is defined as the accuracy of details about occurrence of
events, i.e. correct time of the event or other details, as defined in the standard
operating procedures (SOP) for the process. Correctness of data for the project has been
ascertained based on the entry of time and dates of the events. Any date or time field
not in line with the occurrence of events, i.e. dates recorded at control centre before the
actual date of occurrence at site, is recorded as a defect.

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

Completeness
Communicate
clearly, timely
Ensure availability and correctly
of Real-time accurate Untimely,
Timeliness
Information Inaccurate
data
Access to
Accurate &
Timely Feed Data
Into system Correctness
Information
Figure 2.
CTQ tree
communication and
Corporate Y Business Func. Area Problem information management
Unit/ Region Y Departmental Y Solving Y
 IJQRM Completeness. Completeness in this case refers to the requirement of all the mandatory
29,1 fields in a form to be filled in completely. The mandatory fields were determined after
consultation with the concerned personnel in respective departments. Any mandatory
field found in complete is recorded as a defect.
Timeliness. In order to determine the criteria for timeliness for reporting the events,
a baseline of half-an-hour lead time was drawn in consultation with management
38 representative. It means information from work-sites needs to be reported at control
centre within half-an-hour of the event at the maximum. Any entry reported in excess
of half-an-hour from the occurrence of event is treated as a defect.
Data collection plan for the CTQ (project Y). Required data were not readily
available since the organisation had poor data management system and no effective
utilisation was done of the little data available. Therefore, a plan was worked for
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retrieving archival data, where applicable. Lack of centralisation and system

utilisation also become hindrance with some business units. In such cases, data were
generated from the most recent records available for study purpose. Where data access
was feasible six monthly data was procured to make the generalisation of results close
to reality.
Perform a gage R&R study on each CTQ. Gage R&R study is conducted for each
CTQ to determine the appropriateness of the measurement system. Gage R&R study in
the case of pilot study depot was not feasible for timeliness Y, due to the dynamic
nature of the activity and data access; hence the study was conducted for completeness
and correctness Ys.
Gage R&R study for correctness and completeness. The data were evaluated for
checking R&R factors. The total variance for correctness amounted to 7.16 per cent.
The measurement system is considered acceptable when the measurement system
variability is less than 10 per cent of total process variability (Antony et al., 1999;
Breyfogle, 2003). Since the total variance is less than 10 per cent the gage system is
satisfactory. Hence the measurement system is acceptable to measure correctness.
Similar considerations as undertaken for correctness study were made with regard
to the completeness for checking the variation in the data collected for the same. The
total variance for completeness amounted to 3.82 per cent, which implies that the
measurement system is acceptable to measure completeness as well.
Determining the present situation. First step in the measure phase involved
exploration of the collected data in order to identify the defects with regard to
correctness, completeness and timeliness. The defect rates for each of the Y as
determined from the collected data were summed up for the whole group. A Pareto chart
as shown in Figure 3 was constructed to see the overall effect. This determined that
completeness of information was a major contributor for error rate amounting to 60 per
cent of the errors followed by correctness and timeliness at 21 and 15 per cent,
respectively.
From the Pareto chart it is observed that completeness and correctness together
contribute to 85 per cent of the errors hence further focus on these two Y will
facilitate a directed approach to resolve the problem with regard to accuracy of
problem. Moreover, since both the factors affect the accuracy of information and have
impact on each other, these will be the focus for further research. A further analysis
was conducted to check the stability of the process with respect to completeness and
correctness of data. The result of the study clearly indicated that the process is stable.
 2,000
Defects % cum %
120% Six Sigma
1,800
100%
DMAIC
1,600
methodology
1,400
80%

Percentage
1,200
Errors

1,000 60%

800
39
40%
600

400
20%
200
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0 0%
Completeness Correctness Timeliness
Defects 1887 621 444
% 64% 21% 15% Figure 3.
cum % 64% 85% 100%
Pareto chart for
identified Y
Measure Y

Analyse phase. The purpose of analyse phase is to explore the collected data, analyse,
verify and prioritise the possible root causes and their relationship to Y or outputs. The
analyse phase involves identifying the possible causes X for the identified CTQ Y
and further narrow the root causes to the vital few, identifying the significant variables
for each CTQ, and understanding the effect of the Xs on each CTQ. The first step in this
case is identification of the possible causes; a cause and effect diagram is used for
this purpose.
Cause and effect analysis. This step involves analysis of potential causes of the
problem in order to identify the potential causes which affect the Y. Cause and effect
analysis was conducted to identify the possible causes for untimely and inaccurate data
as shown in Figure 4. The cross-functional team brainstormed the reasons for the
effect based on the data collected and their understanding of the process. The output of
the cause and effect diagram depends to a large extent on the quality and creativity of the
brainstorming session. After performing a number of brainstorming exercises and using
a multi-voting method, the team members arrived at the conclusion that there are four
major causes referred to as broad-level X (data management, communication methods,
measurement and people) affecting the output. Further 22 xs (input variables) were
identified under the four broad X that can be considered for data collection plan.
Having identified the possible causes the next step is to prioritise the broad-level
X (data, communication, process/method and people) to have a focussed approach to
identify the root causes. For this purpose a survey instrument was designed that was
distributed across the group involving management and supervisors directly involved
with the flow of information. Likert scale has been used for rating the questions since it
provides more precise answers than just yes/no or true/false statements.
The objective of conducting the survey was to identify the main areas of concern
from the four broad X. Since all the respondents answer a standard questionnaire
with same set of questions, it provides an effective way of collecting responses from a
large sample and statistical analysis of the results is facilitated (Saunders et al., 2003).
 IJQRM CAUSES EFFECT
29,1
Data (Materials) People

No centralized database
Missed Data

40 Incorrect Entry
Manual data entry

Duplication of Data Awareness & knowledge

Information Accessibility Lack of training

Late Entry in system Cultural Issues

Inaccurate
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Figure 4.
Cause and effect diagram
to identify X for the Y Methods
data &
Many no. of nodes Paper Based System Information
Integration
Localised information Definition of Standard
flow Processes
Delays from site
Sites having independent reporting
Verbal (telephonic) system
No Standardisation
No. of forms (Duplicity of work)
Delay in transit
No defined measures/KPI
Fool proof communication
system
Communication Measurements

The questionnaire was divided into four sections based on the discussions and findings
of cause and effect diagram:
.
Section 1 aimed at understanding the role of data management in error rate.
.
Section 2 was targeted on the role of communication methods.
.
Section 3 highlights the measurements required.

People issues are not considered at this stage since these are intangible and involve
cultural concerns. Moreover, cultural issues involve substantial change in
organisational structure and infrastructure (Coronado and Antony, 2002). People
issues can only be addressed after establishing an effective management system.
Findings of the survey instrument. The survey instrument shown in the Appendix
was completed by 30 people across the organisation. The purpose of conducting this
survey was to develop an understanding of the criticality of possible causes for
the problem as identified from the cause and effect diagram. The findings of the survey
were further validated by the team by matching with their own results obtained from the
brainstorming sessions followed by multi-voting of team members. From the findings
of the survey instrument it can be concluded that data management followed by
communication systems are the main concerns within the organisation as shown in
Figure 5.
Further the data gathered from the survey are analysed to identify the main impact
area from x for data and communication methods, required to resolve the problem.
In this regard the ratings provided by the respondents were analysed based on the
severity level assigned on the Likert scale. Based on the prioritisation of questions
 120% Six Sigma
DMAIC
100%
13% 10% 8% methodology
80% 29%
28%
36%
60% 41
19% 21%
Greater Extent
40% 22% Larger Extent
35% Moderate Extent
36%
20%
24% Some Extent Figure 5.
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5% 8% 6% Not at all Staff rating of the

0%
Communication
concerns based on
Data Measurement
questionnaire
Concern Areas

and brainstorming sessions, the reasons for the inaccurate information can be
attributed to the following key x:
.
duplication of data;
.
manual data entry;
.
centralised data base;
.
standardisation and integration of communication; and
.
fool proof communication system.

Based on the variables x shown in Figure 3, three concerns are attributed to

data management and two are related to communication systems. Next step
involved identifying the impact of the two X, data and communication for the
entire group. Figure 6 shows the ratio of split observed for the two main X for the
group.
Operational definition of X. Data errors. Data errors are defined as errors that
occur due to reasons like manual entry of data resulting in typographical errors, wrong
entries due to lack of training or awareness, etc. Any wrong data entry as an account of
these reasons is classified as data error.
Communication errors. Communication errors occur as a result of poor communication
from the site and vice versa. These errors can be attributed to various reasons such

49% 51%

Data Error Figure 6.

Ratio of data and
Communication Errors
communication errors
 IJQRM as information not captured correctly, information not supplied to the concerned or
29,1 importance not realised for communicating effectively. Any required information found
missing is classified as a communication error for the purpose of this study.
After establishing the broad-level X for corporate Y, next step is to identify the
real root causes x resulting in the impact on broad X. Process map was used to
identify the critical x in this case.
42 Process maps to identify critical x. Process maps enable identification of the
inputs and outputs of the processes and help to identify any missed links, bottlenecks
and rework loops. A detailed flow chart explaining all the activities involved in the
process, provide a sound base to identify the critical few x for the process under
consideration. Further analysis of the process identifies the critical steps in the process
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that create output Y as shown in Figure 7.

From the flow chart, eight root causes x are identified for the output Y,
i.e. inaccurate information. It is observed that many of the x, are in line with the
findings of the cause and effect diagram and the results of the survey instrument. It is
observed that all of the x for the pilot depot are broadly related to data management
and communication systems, the broad-level X; As discussed earlier data management
and communication system are affecting the overall Y for the whole group.
Analysis of the root causes (x1, x2, x3. . .). Based on results of the survey,
brainstorming sessions with the team members facilitated in identification of
six measurable xs, as incorrect entry, information accessibility, typographical errors
(due to manual entry), delay from site (resulting in the late entry in the system), missed
data and awareness common across the whole group. This prompted analysis of data
on these root causes. The critical xs identified are in consensus with the C&E diagram
as discussed in the start of the analyse phase.
The analysis of the root causes was done for the whole group. The findings of the
analysis are shown in Figure 8.
From Figure 8, it is evident that incorrect entry, information accessibility,
typographical errors and delay from site contribute to 80 per cent of the errors related to
data and communication systems, resulting in issues with correctness and completeness
of information.
Further to determining the root causes, next step within the DMAIC methodology is
the improve phase which involves identification of possible solutions and
implementation of the same to resolve the problem.
Improvement phase. The causes identified during the measure phase and
the relationship derived in the analyse phase provide input to the improve phase.
Hence, the objective of improve phase is to select solutions to eliminate these causes. As a
result, the team had a focus on eliminating the communication and data related concerns
that were identified to have significant impact on corporate Y (correctness and
accuracy of data).
As a first step towards improving the CIM system the information flow process for
the pilot depot was revisited and the non-value adding activities identified. Non-value
adding activities are those parts of the process those can be eliminated or redesigned to
make the overall process more effective. The process was analysed for duplicity and
recurring activities resulting in unnecessary hand-offs. These activities were removed
by redesigning the process thereby centralising the information flow.
 Quotation request from client received by Y Inaccurate Information
Six Sigma
commercial office (details maintained in Y1 Correctness DMAIC
Excel) Y2 Completeness methodology
Priced and returned to client (Manual)

Copy filed at the depot 43

Contract awarded
x1 Data not entered
Quoted pricing and Item details entered in the correctly
central software x2 Data missed
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Details forwarded to Operations (Hard Copy)

Works programmed with agreement of client

(Manual board maintained in Supervisor
office with clear indication for a week)

Works undertaken as per plan x1 Data not entered

correctly
x2 Data missed
Details of work undertaken filled in Daily
x3 Delay from site
Record Sheet (DRS) by operatives
x4 Typographical error
x5 Information
DRS brought back to Depot next day by Accessibility
operatives x6 No. of
nodes
DRS checked by supervisor x1 Data not entered
correctly
DRS handed over to commercial office and x2 Data missed
entered into the central software x3 Delay from site
x7 DRS misplaced or
Invoice prepared in central software and sent lost
to client
Figure 7.
Financial information for wages, material, job Flow chart of information
x8 Faulty information
costs drawn from greenlight flow for test depot

Owing to the time constraint and the involvement of system changes as suggested with
regard to the improvements a full-scale implementation of the plan was not feasible.
Therefore, this paper will list the recommendations made in this regard. Although, the
study was focussed on one of the pilot depots but the nature of business and the systems
being followed are primarily the same, hence the recommendations made can be adapted
to the whole business unit.
Recommendations for improvement. In order to improve the identified Y,
information reliability by providing complete and correct information, following
recommendations for improvement were made:
 IJQRM Defects by Root Cause
29,1 1,200 120.00
1,000 100.00

No. of defects
800 80.00
600 60.00 Defects
44 400 40.00 Cumm. %
200 20.00
0 Incorrect 0.00
entry

Information
Accessibility

Typographical
errors

Delay from
site

Missed data

Awareness
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Figure 8.
Pareto chart for defects
by root causes
Root Causes

.
Centralise the flow of information at one nodal point, say control centre for all the
operations within the business units providing 24-hour access to site employees
to update their details on real-time basis.
.
Installation of centralised software system at the control centre for information
handling. Since a computerised software system is already being used at the
depots, it will facilitate ease of implementation and adaptation and save the
efforts for integration.
.
Reduction in nodes through which the information flows such as movement of
daily record sheet from site to supervisor to commercial office for entry into the
software.
.
Standardisation and consolidation of forms where possible, resulting in
reduction of forms.
.
Eliminate paper-based management of information and avoid manual entry
where possible. This can be accomplished by automating the information flow
and making the sites on line with the control centre through handheld PDAs or
other suitable solution can be explored.
.
Introduce work force scheduling and integrate with the systems being followed.

Since poke-yoke is the first step in truly error-proofing the system, adequate measures
should be put in place to prevent errors by designing processes and utilising
techniques so that an operation cannot be performed incorrectly.
All the improvements suggested could not be implemented simultaneously,
therefore it is important to identify the critical improvement variables for the business.
In order to determine the priority for effective implementation a rating scheme
was designed involving the team members and the management team. The rating
involved providing weightings to the suggested improvements on a Likert scale of 1-5.
Hence critical improvement variables for the business were identified as shown in
Table III.
 From Table III it can be concluded that centralisation of information flow need Six Sigma
priority along with automation of the processes to gain maximum advantage from the DMAIC
improved CIM system.
Control phase. The control phase is significant since all the efforts put in by the methodology
Six Sigma team will be in vain if proper measures are not adopted to sustain
the improvements identified and implemented. Therefore, the objective of control
phase is to establish measures to standardise, monitor and integrate the changes 45
within the existing framework. A control plan is suggested in order to maintain the
improvements.
Considering the fact that information management is a combination of human
involvement and information technology, the systems utilised for the process have
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to be carefully designed. As identified earlier, lack of standardisation is also a cause of

variations; therefore SOP should be put in place for all the processes and made
applicable to one and all. Strict discipline and adherence to these SOPs has to be
ensured by the supervisors.
In order to put a control measure to the identified causes, targets should be decided
for each of the X at a strategic level and management must define the control limits
with a point of view of improving the Sigma quality level of the operations. These
control limits generated from the process can be used to generate attribute-control
charts to understand the variation in the process and take counter measures. Following
measures would be monitored:
.
total errors; and
.
percentage of records audited.

The control plan indicated should be documented within the quality system of the
organisation such as ISO being followed by organisation currently.
Anticipated benefits from the improvements.
Strategic non-tangible benefits:
(1) Better control of information.
(2) Availability of correct and timely information.
(3) Central data collection point at control centre will enable real-time access to site
information around the clock.
(4) Reliable and accurate management reporting and monitoring of KPIs.
(5) Overall, a better control of the operations and resource utilisation. Duplication
of activities will be avoided, hence reduction in manpower.

S. no. Recommendation Average rating

1 Centralise information flow 7.8

5 Systematising or automating the information flow 5.4
3 Reduction in nodes 3.8 Table III.
2 Communication system integration 3.4 Ratings for prioritising
4 Standardisation and consolidation of forms 1.8 improvement
6 Work force scheduling 1.8 recommendations
 IJQRM (6) Above all it builds customer confidence within the company and enhances
29,1 customer satisfaction, resulting repeat orders and better customer retention.
(7) Provides a competitive edge in the market place.

As the anticipated benefits listed above is non-tangible in nature and few more can be
added to the list as the project progresses, it is important to understand the preferred
46 benefits from the team and management perspective. In order to determine the preferred
benefits process of ranking was undertaken. The outcome of the ranking is shown in
Table III.
It is clear from Table IV that reliable and accurate management information leading
to generating KPIs takes the top rank of the anticipated benefit list followed by
customer satisfaction and better control of information. Of the seven benefits the top
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four draw focus on improvement of CIM system.

Financial benefits. Further to the aforementioned intangible benefits as a result of
recommendations provided, cost of quality for the operation can be reduced resulting
in hard cash savings. The anticipated savings from the suggested implementations
based upon the pilot depot amounted to 120K per year. The projected savings are
indicated for one business unit within the group but considering the similarity
in operations comparable potential is expected in other three business units.
Considering the whole group, the expected savings are anticipated in the range of
350-480K per year.
The company was revisited in June 2008 to estimate the benefits realised from the
project. It was reported that the control plan suggested for sustaining the gains from
the project was adhered across the business unit, resulting in the savings of over
400K till June 2008.

Managerial implications and lessons learned

The case study found that top-level management had general awareness of Six Sigma
and was committed in deploying the strategy across the organisation. The
understanding of Six Sigma at the middle management level was not reflected from
the findings and thus need a serious thought to develop good knowledge base within
the organisation as a whole, for successful deployment of Six Sigma across the
organisation.
Training plays a vital role in implementation of any new system. With regard to this
project it is important that emphasis should be laid on creating awareness of the proposed
system to all users and the importance of each entry should be realised by all involved.

S. no. Anticipated benefit Ranking

4 Reliable and accurate management reporting (KPI) 1

6 Customer satisfaction 2
1 Better control of information 3
2 Availability of correct and timely information 4
Table IV. 7 Competitive edge in market place 5
Ranking of anticipated 3 Centralised information handling 6
benefits 5 Better control of operations and resource utilisation 7
 These factors help in institutionalising the improvement process. In order to ensure Six Sigma
effectiveness of the training, a skill matrix must be prepared for all the involved and DMAIC
training needs should be identified accordingly. The skill set should be reviewed on regular
basis to determine the awareness level and prepare the training calendar accordingly. methodology
Since the project requires involvement of the ground-level staff, the management should
keep the staff motivated through sustained communication and education.
Culture is another major contributor towards ensuring that the improvement is 47
sustained for long time. The management has to instil within the team a sense of
ownership and responsibility for the actions they do, to ensure that the information
provided is correct in entirety. In order to improve the effectiveness of communication
and information across organisation, management need to develop this culture at the
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field level to enhance reliability of information at source.

The study provided an appreciation of the Six Sigma methodology, roles and
responsibilities that helped to carry out the research. The case study approach
enabled application of DMAIC methodology in a real-world situation and provided
opportunity to correlate the theoretical knowledge gained through the literature
review with the practical application in the concerned organisation. The case study
also facilitated factual primary data collection for the research and the survey
instrument enabled to narrow the scope of root causes to identify the vital few from
the trivial many.
The lessons learned from the case study need to be propagated and transferred to
different business units across the organisation. An understanding of quality and
process thinking at different levels will help to establish continuous process
measurement and improvement systems. Considering the lack of data-driven approach
towards decision making across the organisation, it is important to train the
management at all levels in Six Sigma since a data-driven methodology helps in
making effective and better informed decisions. Embracing Six Sigma across the
organisation and effective use of Six Sigma tools and techniques for problem solving
will develop the organisation into a Six Sigma organisation.
As stated by Antony (2004a), successful implementation of Six Sigma within an
organisation depends upon the consideration for critical success factors (CSFs) of Six
Sigma. In this regard following CSFs of Six Sigma were identified in the organisation
that were instrumental in carrying out the project:
(1) top management commitment and involvement;
(2) leadership;
(3) linking Six Sigma to business strategy;
(4) education and training;
(5) understanding of Six Sigma methodology;
(6) organisational infrastructure; and
(7) awareness of quality tools.

Lack of consideration for these basic CSFs of Six Sigma within organisation would
have resulted in failure of the Six Sigma project. With regard to the project undertaken
it is also worth mentioning that along with the CSFs, the clarity of aims and objectives
prior to starting a Six Sigma project contributes to successful implementation.
 IJQRM Limitations and directions for future research
29,1 Jankowics (2005) acknowledges that limitations of any research must be recognised
and any data collected should be examined in a critical fashion. Throughout this
research following limitations have been realised:
.
Paucity of literature on the application of Six Sigma within CIM arena,
presenting huge scope for future research.
48 .
Owing to paucity of literature no competitor data could be accessed for research
to benchmark against. In future such a research can be conducted across the CIM
systems of different companies.
.
The research would have benefited from the use of longitudinal study,
allowing full deployment of DMAIC methodology through implementation of
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recommendations.

Conclusion
Six Sigma is a disciplined, data-driven approach that is applicable to all arenas starting
from manufacturing to transaction and enhances process efficiency by identifying and
eliminating the defects. The paper presents case study from a leading infrastructure
support company where Six Sigma methodology was employed to address the concern
within the CIM system of the organisation. The structured Six Sigma approach
facilitated to identify the root causes of the problem and tools like brainstorming,
Pareto analysis, cause and effect analysis, etc. helped to prioritise the issues and find
effective solutions to the problems.
In conclusion from the study conducted it is evident that a systematic and conscious
effort to influence and control the flow of information will lead to efficient processes and
improve the overall effectiveness of CIM system within the organisation. By developing
the control centre into a one point contact for all the core businesses of the group focus
can be laid on real-time data access in a controlled manner. This will enhance the
effectiveness of the group with timely updates on the completion of tasks in real time and
highlight concerns, if any at work-sites so that necessary action can be taken to rectify
the situation as and when required. This will facilitate generation of timely management
reports of the business for the senior management at all times. The financial savings
generated from the project as reported by the Six Sigma Project Champion in June 2008
was over 400K. Overall an effective CIM will definitely provide a competitive edge to
the group as a whole.
As a next phase of this research, the organisation can conduct an extensive empirical
research across different business units to understand the impact of ineffectiveness
in the CIM system within each unit and evaluate impact across the organisation.
Investigate the mode and effectiveness of suggested CIM improvements and incorporate
them in the continuous performance initiative for the organisation.

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Appendix
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Data Management and Communications Questionnaire

The purpose of the questionnaire is to study the data management, communication flow and
measurement effectiveness of Business Units within the organisation

Position & Unit :

Name:

Notes for understanding of the questionnaire

Information being referred is with regard to your business unit

Communication networks refer to modes of communicating back and forth, ie. if system based approach is
adopted at one end, the same should be at the other end.
Supplier and customer refer to internal as well as external eg. Information from site is an internal supplier to
X and the Senior Management is internal customer to receive the information
Please leave any ambiguous query unfilled

Please read through the following queries and provide your valuable feedback.

moderate extent

greater extent
larger extent
some extent
not at all

1 The same information is recorded in more than one file / format (Duplication)

2 The same information is stored in separate systems for different application

areas (Form of Hard copies and system Doc.)

3 Inconsistencies occur because separate copies of data are updated at different

times (eg. Delayed information from site)

4 Data storage requirements could be reduced by eliminating duplicate data in

separate applications/ocation

5 Definition of key data elements (e.g. customer id, call type or shift times etc.)
are standardized

6 All function areas of business unit use the same logical scheme to represent
information (inconsistency)

7 All function areas of the business unit use the same document format standard
in sharing information (eg. Types of forms used in particular unit)

8 Operating personnel can access authorized data through communication

networks (eg. Application or web based access at site)
(continued)
 9 Operating personnel can exchange their ideas and document through
communication networks (eg. Mail system or getting authorization online)
Six Sigma
DMAIC
Please describe your preferred method:
methodology
10 Departments can share data and applications on the communication networks
(eg. Finance department gets relevant infromation timely)

11 Senior management can access all business specific information from their
workstations (eg. Automated KPI's or MIS reports as required)
51
12 Through communication networks, management can distribute the latest
business information within the business unit

13 The business unit and its main customers are linked by communication
networks (eg. Contractors, reported authorities, extranet)
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14 The business unit and its main suppliers are linked by communication
networks (eg. Infor from sites)

15 The business unit and field staff persons are linked by communication
networks

16 Corporate headquarters and the business unit are linked by communication

networks (Depots and branche offices)

17 Through communication networks, senior management can distribute latest

information to the business units suppliers (contractors etc.)

18 Corporate data can be seamlessly accessed from remote locations

19 Processes are checked continuously to prevent defects in products/services

20 Processes are controlled to ensure their correctness

21 Emphasis is on eliminating the root causes of processes in the business

22 Processes in the business are designed to be defect-free to eliminate

unexpected human errors

23 Processes are evaluated continually for improvement

24 Process improvement standards are raised periodically

25 Redesign in processes are implemented after thorough testing

Note: S. no. 1, 2 & 3 have reverse polarity

S. no. 1 - 7 refer to data management issues
S. no. 8 - 18 refer to communication systems being used
S. no. 19 - 25 refer to measurement issues for processes
 IJQRM About the authors
Professor Jiju Antony, Director of the Centre for Research in Six Sigma and Process Improvement
29,1 (CRISSPE) and Director of Knowledge Exchange within Strathclyde Institute for Operations
Management in his ten year research career, has published more than 200 refereed journals and
conference papers and six textbooks in the area of reliability engineering, design of experiments,
Taguchi methods, Six Sigma, total quality management and statistical process control. He
successfully launched the first International Journal of Lean Six Sigma in April 2010. Professor
52 Antony has been invited several times as a keynote speaker to national conferences on Six Sigma
in China, South Africa, The Netherlands, India, Greece, New Zealand, South Africa and Poland. He
has also chaired the First, Second and Third International Conferences on Six Sigma and First and
Second International Workshops on Design for Six Sigma. The recent work of Professor Antony
includes collaborations with organisations such as Thales Optronics Ltd, Scottish Power,
Rolls-Royce, Tata Motors, Bosch, Nokia, GE Domestic Appliances, Scottish Widows, 3M, Land
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Rover, GE Power Systems, NHS Ayr and Aaran, Kwit Fit Financial Services, Clydesdale Bank, etc.
in the development of Six Sigma, Lean and Continuous Improvement programmes within these
organisations. He is on the Editorial Board of over eight international journals and a regular
reviewer of five leading international journals in quality, operations and production management.
He has been recently elected to the International Academy of Quality, the first in Scotland and
third in the UK to be elected to the Academy. He is a fellow of the Chartered Quality Institute, UK,
a fellow of the Institute of Operations Management, UK, a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society
and a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. Jiju Antony is the corresponding author and can be
contacted at: jiju.antony@strath.ac.uk
Anmol Singh Bhuller is Vice President at Radiant Toyota, Ludhiana, India spearheading
multi-location operations entailing service operations, CRM and training. He possesses wide
exposure related to process improvement, Kaizen, TPM and Lean techniques across the globe.
At Kwik-Fit Financial Services, Scotland (UK), he was involved in setting a new initiative within
the organisation aimed at sustaining long-term growth and improving customer experience. He is
an Engineering Graduate (1996) with Masters in Operations Management (2006) from Glasgow
Caledonain University (UK), specialising in Lean and Six Sigma methodologies. He has 14 years
working experience within manufacturing, service and transactional environment with
multinational companies like Volvo, Toyota and Kwik Fit. His work experience includes supply
chain management, quality and process improvement, customer service management, handling
green field projects involving project management and business development. His research
interests include service quality, customer satisfaction, performance measurement, Six Sigma and
its applications in service and transactional settings.
Dr Maneesh Kumar is a Lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University Business School. His PhD
research focused on application of Six Sigma in UK manufacturing SMEs from the University of
Strathclyde. His other degrees include Masters in Research (2005) from Glasgow Caledonian
University and a BTech in Manufacturing Engineering (2004) from Ranchi University, India.
His research and publications are in the area of Lean Six Sigma (LSS), Agility, and Sustainable
Supply Chain Management for both public and private sectors. He has been involved in
delivering Lean Six Sigma training up to Green Belt level and delivered several workshops on
Lean Six Sigma application in different types and sizes of industries. He has facilitated in Lean
Six Sigma implementation at many large and small organizations in the UK, Belgium, Dubai and
India. He is actively involved in the training and consultancy activities of Edinburgh Institute
for Leadership and Management Practices at Edinburgh Napier University. He is also a
regular speaker at international conferences and seminars on Lean Six Sigma and Process
Excellence.
Dr Kepa Mendibil is a Lecturer at the Department of Design, Manufacture and Engineering
Management, University of Strathclyde. He has led a number of international and national
research and consultancy programmes and has worked for industrial organisations on business
improvement, process re-engineering and ERP implementation projects. His research interests
 include high value manufacturing, innovation systems and performance measurement and he Six Sigma
has published over 30 papers in academic journals and conference proceedings.
Professor Douglas C. Montgomery is Regents Professor of Industrial Engineering and DMAIC
Statistics and Foundation Professor of Engineering at Arizona State University. He holds BSIE, methodology
MS and PhD degrees from Virginia Tech. His research and teaching interests are in industrial
statistics. He is an author of 12 books and over 225 archival publications. Professor Montgomery
is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association, a Fellow of the American Society for Quality,
a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers, a 53
Member of the International Statistical Institute, and an Academician of the International
Academy for Quality. He received the Deming Lecture Award from the ASA, the Greenfield
Medal from the RSS, the Shewhart Medal, the William G. Hunter Award, the Brumbaugh Award,
the Lloyd S. Nelson Award, and the Shewell Award (twice) from the ASQ, the George Box Medal
from the European Network for Business and Industrial Statistics, and the Ellis Ott Award.
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Professor Montgomery has won several teaching awards and is an ASU Outstanding Doctoral
Mentor. He is a Chief Editor of Quality and Reliability Engineering International, past Editor of
the Journal of Quality Technology and a member of several other editorial boards.

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